Vietnam's North-South High-Speed Railway Project has disbursed only VND 1.069 trillion (USD 40.8 million), equivalent to 2 per cent of its allocated capital for 2026, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The ministry said on July 8 that by the end of June, the country's key transport infrastructure projects had disbursed VND 59.289 trillion (USD 2.27 billion), representing 24.2 per cent of the VND 245.053 trillion (USD 9.38 billion) allocated for the year.
The ministry highlighted the slow progress of Vietnam's two nationally significant railway projects: the North-South High-Speed Railway Project and the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong Railway Project.
Together, the two schemes have been allocated around VND 101 trillion (USD 3.86 billion), accounting for 75.6 per cent of the Ministry of Construction's capital plan for 2026. Their slow disbursement has therefore had a significant impact on the ministry's overall spending rate and on national infrastructure investment.
The North-South High-Speed Railway Project has disbursed VND 1.069 trillion (USD 40.8 million) from an allocated budget of VND 56.846 trillion (USD 2.17 billion), achieving just 2 per cent of its annual target.
Meanwhile, the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong Railway Project has spent VND 1.193 trillion (USD 45.6 million), or 2.5 per cent of its VND 48.104 trillion (USD 1.84 billion) allocation.
The Ministry of Finance also reported that nationwide public investment disbursement reached VND 356.935 trillion (USD 13.65 billion) by the end of June, equivalent to 35.5 per cent of the annual target assigned by the prime minister.
Although the amount disbursed was VND 38.362 trillion (USD 1.47 billion) higher than in the same period of 2025, the disbursement rate was 0.5 percentage points lower.
The Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway, alongside which the North-South High-Speed Railway is expected largely to run (Photo: Hoai Son).
The report attributed the slow progress to several factors, including shortages of construction materials, fluctuating fuel prices and transport costs that have increased investment expenses, as well as persistent difficulties in land clearance, particularly in determining land ownership, compensation rates and resettlement plans.
It also cited limited capacity among some project owners, management boards and contractors, together with unrealistic planning and inadequate project preparation, which have resulted in project revisions and the return of allocated funds.
To accelerate disbursement, ministries, government agencies and local authorities have been instructed to strengthen accountability, resolve bottlenecks more proactively, speed up land clearance and ensure adequate supplies of construction materials in line with the prime minister's directives.
The Ministry of Construction has been tasked with closely monitoring the construction materials market, coordinating supplies across regions and working with local authorities to speed up major transport projects, with the aim of lifting third-quarter disbursement above the national average.
Authorities also said they would tighten oversight and discipline, impose stricter penalties on project owners, management boards and organisations or individuals found responsible for delays, and ensure sufficient staffing to manage and implement projects, particularly in remote and rural areas.
